The beginning of a long ride...

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Bluebird

We live in Decatur Indiana if you want to come up and check out our bus. Bluebird 24 feet we have put 40,000 miles on Gus since we started 3 years ago.

Thank you! If we have an opportunity to make a trip up that way, I will keep you in mind. Decatur is otherwise a little far for a casual drive.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Oldyeller

There are FE buses that are shorter. I was looking at a couple. I've posted a link to one so you can see it. I got to the dealer a day after they sold the one I was interested in. The one pictured in this ad is exactly the same configuration. If you look at the pictures you'll see the GVWR is 30,000 lb.

Being that I'm a coffee kind-a-sewer, I'd be interested to try something you roast.


https://charlottesville.craigslist.o...144538275.html

I actually looked at the one that you linked. It is the sort of bus that I'm looking for, but I have to get my wife on board with something that big. I've been rendering a 3d cad layout to decide how small we can go and have the space we want/need. So far, it looks like 22' buildable is our minimum.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Ms Blue Sky

We have a flat nose 10 window. 2003 bluebird tc2000 FE.
This is short wheel base, very tight turning radius. We were surprised how easy she handles. This gives you an overall length of 30ft, so it's easier to find parking because if you catch find 2 places nose to nose, you can pull though.
The buildable living space is 23 feet. It was a little challenging when we were working on our floor plan, but we are about 30% into our build and she's looking good!

This is great information! Thank you!

This is one of the bus configurations that I have been zeroing in on. knowing the buildable space is very helpful. Best of luck with that build! I'm looking forward to getting ours started, but we have to buy the bus first!

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Oldyeller

Being that I'm a coffee kind-a-sewer, I'd be interested to try something you roast.

OldYeller, I'm going to be adding some more "exotic" coffees to the website later this week, if you want to check out my coffee, I'm at EvansvilleCoffee.com

I did get the "go ahead" from my more significant other to buy a roaster for the bus. I'm thinking a 500g would be small enough to move around, but big enough to roast up to 1lb at a time.

(Admins, I don't mean to break any rules, so not sure if this is allowed. Please feel free to delete.)

[cadillackid]

ill be chasing that bus down!! espresso shots from micro lots are my thing!!! drinking said espresso shots and jamming code on my bus is a fav pastime of mine!!

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

ill be chasing that bus down!! espresso shots from micro lots are my thing!!! drinking said espresso shots and jamming code on my bus is a fav pastime of mine!!

What kind of espresso machine do you keep on your bus? I have a Rocket R60v at the roastery, and an expobar at home, but I'm thinking that I'll be in pour-over land once we're rolling.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Oscar1

Build labels indicate that it has the 2000 trans.
Says it's a C7 in the listing but with production date of 03/03 I think could be 3126
If it's a 3126 and not a 545 its starting to look like a better deal

Unfortunately, a VIN lookup says it's a Cat C7. Otherwise, I'd be seriously looking at it.

[The Dude II]

CoffeeGuy,
Curious where you're at on your search.


Midwest Transit Equipment in Whitestown, IN (just northwest of Indy off I-65) was where our 2008 Bluebird Vision came from last Fall.



I too was concerned about overall length and ability to get into tight places. Ours is just at 40' bumper to bumper(28' usable build-out) and have found it simpler to handle than I originally thought.



www.midwesttransit.com


If you're up towards Indy, feel free to PM and stop by.
Unfortunately I'm stuck at home for next few months due to incident with a 6' ladder and washing the previously mentioned bus!


Good Luck,
Gus

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by The Dude II

CoffeeGuy,
If you're up towards Indy, feel free to PM and stop by.
Unfortunately I'm stuck at home for next few months due to incident with a 6' ladder and washing the previously mentioned bus!

Ouch! Sorry to hear that, Gus!!! We'd love to see some other builds, so if I have a chance, I'll give you a holler! More news coming in the next post!!!

[CoffeeGuy]

Well, it didn't take too long. I drew up a preliminary CAD layout in SketchUp that showed us we needed a minimum of 22' build space to realize my wife's minimum expectations, and the dimensional drawing of our driveway/road pull-in navigation set our upper limit at a wheelbase of around 216". I wanted something with no rust and a strong drivetrain, so I looked to the south and found my "unicorn".

Yesterday we bought a ten window 2000 Bluebird All American RE flatnose with a Cat 3126, MD3060 transmission and 5,38 gear ratio. 125k miles on the bus, and had it with the diesel mechanic for the day, checking everything out. There are a couple of mechanical issues that need to be addressed, but the price was *very* right. 27' of building space (5' more than we absolutely need) and has a few nice extras like cruise control.

We were ready to drive it home, but discovered a crack in the radiator 30 miles out of town. No way we were going to finish an 800 mile journey, so we left it and came home. The radiator will be repaired next week and I'll fly down to FL and drive it home.

We're excited! The 194" wheelbase will easily make it down my driveway and we can even drive straight down then back it into its parking space next to the wood shop where we'll have access to all of our tools for the conversion. Things are moving faster than I expected!! Here's a diagram of our driveway clearance. I was concerned that I would have to back in, but with this short wheelbase, we should be able to drive in and back into a parking position, then drive forward out.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by CoffeeGuy

Well, it didn't take too long. I drew up a preliminary CAD layout in SketchUp that showed us we needed a minimum of 22' build space to realize my wife's minimum expectations, and the dimensional drawing of our driveway/road pull-in navigation set our upper limit at a wheelbase of around 216". I wanted something with no rust and a strong drivetrain, so I looked to the south and found my "unicorn".

Yesterday we bought a ten window 2000 Bluebird All American RE flatnose with a Cat 3126, MD3060 transmission and 5,38 gear ratio. 125k miles on the bus, and had it with the diesel mechanic for the day, checking everything out. There are a couple of mechanical issues that need to be addressed, but the price was *very* right. 27' of building space (5' more than we absolutely need) and has a few nice extras like cruise control.

We were ready to drive it home, but discovered a crack in the radiator 30 miles out of town. No way we were going to finish an 800 mile journey, so we left it and came home. The radiator will be repaired next week and I'll fly down to FL and drive it home.

We're excited! The 194" wheelbase will easily make it down my driveway and we can even drive straight down then back it into its parking space next to the wood shop where we'll have access to all of our tools for the conversion. Things are moving faster than I expected!! Here's a diagram of our driveway clearance. I was concerned that I would have to back in, but with this short wheelbase, we should be able to drive in and back into a parking position, then drive forward out.

Congrats on the new bus!
Now the fun stuff starts.
Cheers

[Native]

Congratulations!


When do you plan on driving it home?

[T-Bolt]

Congrats on the bus!

Be sure to post lots of pictures.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Native

Congratulations!


When do you plan on driving it home?

I just talked with the guy I bought the bus from in Jacksonville, he had his mechanic remove the radiator and they got a new one installed, but there are a couple of cracked hoses that he's going to take care of first thing Monday. If all goes well, I may fly down from Indiana Monday afternoon/evening and start the trip home Tuesday morning.

Looking at routes home, I decided to avoid Cumberland Gap in Tennessee and instead drive to Tallahassee and then north through Birmingham and Nashville. It's only an hour longer but It should be an easier ride.

Our friends just bought a similar bus, and just got it home yesterday. We're going to be helping each other with our conversions. Things are going to get interesting!

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by T-Bolt

Congrats on the bus!

Be sure to post lots of pictures.

Yep, we're doing that. We have a few pics and videos of our first day with the bus, and the unfortunate drive to a mechanic's shed where we left the bus and journeyed home. Story will pick up again once I get back to FL to bring it home.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by CoffeeGuy

I just talked with the guy I bought the bus from in Jacksonville, he had his mechanic remove the radiator and they got a new one installed, but there are a couple of cracked hoses that he's going to take care of first thing Monday.

A seller doing work like this post-sale? Good on him, but maybe he just wants to make damn sure he never sees you again.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

A seller doing work like this post-sale? Good on him, but maybe he just wants to make damn sure he never sees you again.

The seller is a straight up guy. There were a few things that needed to be taken care of before the bus was road worthy, he took care of those and the inspection indicated a couple other things that need to be done, which I agreed to take care of and he dropped the price around 25% to cover the additional repairs.

If the seller wants me to cover some of the repair expense like the cost of the new radiator on me and the labor on him, I'll have no problem doing that, but I'm going to wait to feel out the situation before suggesting anything. Lucky for us, when we realized the bus wasn't going to make it home, we were 30 miles out of Jacksonville, but only 2 miles from his mechanic. The mechanic met us at the interstate exit, and after running a pressure test, we took the bus to his home-based shop just down the road. Luckily we had a "chase vehicle" on that trip, so we decided to just drive back home. When I go to pick up the bus, I'll be solo, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing prevents me from getting home. Once I'm home, I'll have resources and time. On the road, not so much.

[Lubbock Jason]

Sounds like it happened at the right time

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Lubbock Jason

Sounds like it happened at the right time

Yes! I'm also very lucky that the seller is a decent person. My buddy tried to buy a bus in TX and the seller misled him on some details, like the Allison 545 tranny, which was a deal-breaker for him. Anyway, he had a mechanic inspect it and got the real scoop. Seller tried to get the mechanic to lie about the bus.

It takes all kinds, doesn't it?

[Lubbock Jason]

CoffeeFreak I mean CoffeeGuy. Lol ��

People today only care about themselves and are entitled